


I'll Never Give Up On You

by lune



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5207753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lune/pseuds/lune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumple wants Belle gone, but Belle refuses to give up on him.  She taunts him, and gives him a dire challenge in order to get her to leave him alone.  Alternate Ending to one of the final Dark Castle scenes in Skin Deep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Never Give Up On You

**Author's Note:**

> Usually when writing Rumbelle stuff, I like to think that it's in character. This may or may not be, I'm not sure, at least when it comes to Belle. This was just sort of an idea for a fic that popped into my head while I was writing something else.  
> This is probably the first fanfic I've ever fully finished, in my, like, 6 years of writing fanfics. Even if it's a oneshot. It's a start, right?

“So…What are you going to do to me?”

Her heart pounded as he entered the cell. His face was stone cold. His eyes no longer lit up at the sight of her. He lifted up his arm and pointed at the door. “Go.” He commanded, his voice firm, leaking traces of anger from earlier.

The sorcerer turned away from her, struggling to avoid her gaze. He remained stoic on the outside, yet on the inside he was trembling in fear. He felt her eyes on him, and he wished for nothing more than for her to be gone. Never had he meant to employ a temptress, with magic as dark and ugly as his own. Except, she wasn’t magical at all. Her magic was entirely her own personality, yet somehow it had taken it’s hold of him and he was a fool for believing that maybe that foul siren he had fallen for actually liked him. He was enraptured by her kindness, by her soul, and her beauty only finished the job of imprisoning him. He wanted her gone. He wanted her gone before his lips soon ache for hers again, before he ruins all of his hard work by one simple kiss.

“Go?” she asked.

Gods, no. No, no no, he wasn’t going to let her leave. Where would she go? Her kiss worked, it was true love, how could he just discard her like this?  
“I don’t want you anymore, dearie.”

Her heart was in her throat. She choked. Tears stung at her eyes. Anxiety toyed with her stomach, and she felt a rush of cold heat throughout her body. The words repeated in her head again and again.

He lied. It was the hardest lie for him to say. He wished she wouldn’t argue, that she would just leave and forget about him. She couldn’t love him, and he didn’t want her fooling herself anymore by thinking she did. He heard her stand up and head towards the door, and he felt a wave of relief and grief strike at him. Then, she stopped. Curses.

She rushed back in and stood in front of him. He could see the tears forming in her eyes. He could see the anger in her expression, and the confusion her bright blue eyes.  
She searched his face before she began to speak. “No. You were freeing yourself, yet you couldn’t accept that someone could love you. You could have had happiness, if only you believed that somebody could want you! But you just couldn’t take the chance, could you?”

He bit at his tongue and swallowed hard. “That’s a lie.” He said firmly.

“You’re a coward, Rumplestiltskin. And no matter how thick you make your skin, that doesn’t change.”

Her words stung. He knew she couldn’t love him. “I’m not a coward, dearie.” Lies, he was telling so many lies. She was right. He was a coward. He was shutting her out, because he was too scared to let her go on thinking she loved him. Soon, she would realize the full extent of his cowardice, or how much of a monster he was, and she would leave him. He couldn’t bear that pain. “It’s quite simple, really… My power means more to me than you.” 

His words stung. She didn’t believe him. She couldn’t. If that had really been the truth, that kiss wouldn’t have worked. “No.” she said defiantly. “No it doesn’t. You just don’t think that I can love you.”

“Go.” He said, his voice rising. He was nearly about to plead for her to leave. He couldn’t handle this any longer.

“No. I’m not leaving.” She stepped closer to him in protest.

“Belle, leave. Now.”

The corners of her mouth curled upward in an upset smirk. “No. If you want me gone, you are going to have to kill me.” She chuckled nervously.

His heart stopped. Damn her for being so brave. Damn him for being powerless against her. He snapped his fingers. She was gone. He immediately rushed to his tower in search of a magic mirror to spy on her.

 

One moment, she was protesting Rumple’s cowardice. The next moment, she was deep within the woods, in a forest she doesn’t recognize. How typical of him.

“You can’t hide from me forever, Rumple.” She muttered.

Deep within the woods in a forest she doesn’t recognize, in the middle of the night.

“You can just make it infinitely harder on me, it seems.”

Suddenly, a lit lantern and a dagger appeared beside her. She rolled her eyes.

“I don’t matter, huh?”

She leaned against a tree stump, dagger in hand, and waited out the night.

 

All night he watched her in that mirror. All night, she never moved, and barely slept. When he noticed her shiver, he conjured a cloak around her. He knew that it would weaken his resolve, and she would obviously notice that, yet he wanted to make sure she survived. He may try to convince them both she doesn’t matter more than his powers, yet he still cared about her.

 

When it was well into the day and she still didn’t move, he muttered in anger. She was brave, and a major pain in the ass when she’s stubborn.

“Why won’t you leave?!” he complains.

He startled her. She stood up and met his gaze. “I won’t leave because I won’t give up on you. I love you, Rumplestiltskin, and I’m not leaving until you kill me yourself, or leave me in the woods and let me die, which would be your doing. It’s either kill me, or realize that I am wholeheartedly in love with you.”

He bit his lip and threw his hands into the air in frustration.

“I’m giving you a chance to do something with your life. Go out and take it or die here in the woods. If you die, dearie, that’s your own doing.”

“No, Rumple.”

He closed the gap between them, grabbing her wrists tightly and bringing his mouth to the shell of her ear. “I am giving you one. Last. Kindness. I could torture you, torture you the same way I tortured that Robin Hood boy. I could kill you for trying to escape your deal with me. I am offering you release from your contract with me. I am offering you your life. You take it, and leave me the hell alone. You don’t love me, you don’t pretend you love me, you don’t convince yourself you’re in love with me, and you don’t tease me with the concept of your love. You leave me alone, and you live. Do we have a deal?” His voice was sharp and every word bit at her.

“No, Rumple. We don’t have a deal. I’m sorry.” She choked, and nuzzled her face against his neck. He shuddered and vanished. Her wrists tingled where his hands were wrapped around them, tight enough to leave bruises.

 

Hunger struck her. She had cried ever since he left her. Hours ago, a satchel of food and a skin of water had been conjured in front of her, but she refused to take it. Dehydration threatened her, and she cried out more tears than water she needed to drink. The day grew colder and colder, and wind rustled the trees .When the sun had set, her tears were no more. She simply stared at the moon with sore eyes and a peaceful numbness filling her body. Numbness mixed with exhaustion, and she wasn’t quite sure when she fell asleep.

 

She woke from a rustling within the woods. It was still dark, most likely a few hours before sunrise. She noticed it had snowed some while she had slept, yet a thicker cloak had adorned itself on her, and a fire was burning beside her. She heard a growl, followed by another, followed by another. Her hand tightened on the dagger, yet she never raised it. If she was attacked, so be it. She wasn’t going to back down, and she knew that Rumplestiltskin wasn’t going to allow her to die in these woods. He may be a coward, but her faith in him never wavered.

In the Dark Castle, Rumplestiltskin worriedly stared at the mirror. “Pick up the damn dagger and defend yourself! I’ll turn the damned thing into a sword if I have to!” He bit his knuckle. This woman was out of her mind! She was going to be the death of him, or at least the death of his sanity. He watched as the wolves closed in on her, and she remained in her spot on the ground. Her expression showed some fear, her lips turning slightly blue from the cold, and snow dusting her eyelashes. She would not move, and she let the dagger rest in her hand, with no intention of using it. “Gods damn it, Belle.”

 

He appeared in front of her, startling the wolves. They rushed towards them. 

“Belle! Get up and grab onto me!” 

His voice was no longer angry, but filled with worry and determination. She jumped up, slowly, as she was getting weaker and weaker. She latched onto his arm, cowering as a wolf jumped at them. Rumple deflected the attack, sending the wolf flying in the opposite direction, until it hit a tree. He did his best to deflect all of the attacks, when one wolf dug its teeth into his arm. He cried out in pain, flicking his wrist, which snapped the wolf’s neck. He had just barely enough time before the next wolf came at them to grab the old satchel of food and fling it into the woods for the wolves to chase after. As soon as one became distracted by the satchel, he and Belle disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

“R-Rumple. You’re hurt.” She shakily extended a hand out his injured arm.

“Nevermind that!” he snapped, healing the wound with a wave of his hand. “You are unbelievable, Belle. You could have died! Are you really so stubborn and spiteful that you would let yourself be food for the wolves instead of just taking my deal?! Or what about letting yourself die of hunger? Or thirst? Or how about dying from the cold?! Are you really that fucking spiteful?! What exactly are you trying to prove, dearie, because the Belle I knew was brave, and what I just witnessed in those woods was pathetic!”

Warm tears ran down her cheeks, stinging her skin. “Do it. If you’re that upset with me, if you truly want me gone, kill me. I just want to help you, Rumple, but you won’t let me. You won’t let me love you. What use am I to the world if I can’t prove to you that I love you? If I can’t bring out the man I see in you, out of the monster you claim to be? It seemed so simple at first, but maybe it’s not. This is my final attempt, Rumple, my final attempt to get you to come to terms with the truth. Kill me, unless you are too much of a coward! Rip out my heart and crush it, just like you’ve done with your words”

Rage coursed through his veins. Her words weren’t fully registering to him, and he wasn’t even sure if they were registering to her, either. Everything just seemed like a blur, and he thrust out his hand to rip out her heart. The moment his fingertips touched her chest, the force in his movement came to a halt. Instead of ripping out her heart, his fingers caressed her. He watched as her grimace softened and she looked up at him in confusion. Her mouth fell open slightly, and he could see the relief wash over her. 

The moment her beautiful blue eyes met his, he broke down in tears. He pulled her into his arms and cried into her hair. He felt her own tears soaking the delicate fabric of his shirt. He entwined his fingers into her hair and wept, dropping them both to the floor. He scooped her up into his lap, touching his forehead to hers and rocking her gently. “I love you, Belle. Gods, do I love you. I’m so, so sorry, sweetheart. I’m sorry for everything. You wanted me to open up to you, and I treated you like dirt. I love you, and I can’t tell you enough. I don’t expect you to forgive me for this. I am so sorry.” His words blurred as he choked on his tears.

“Rumple… I forgive you. I love you. H-How c-could I be upset, I f-finally got through to you!” She smiled through her tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck, shaking violently. When she went to kiss him, he pulled away.

His tears had stopped, and he looked at her solemnly. “Belle. I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t expect you to understand why, but I can’t let you take my power from me. I love you, I do, I do so much, but there’s so much I’ve worked for. It’s important for me that I finish my work. I don’t… I don’t want to talk about it yet. You’d still love me, right?”

She nodded slowly. “I’d love you, with or without power. I just thought that… that y-you didn’t want to be the m-monster you thought you were. That if-if I broke the curse, you wouldn’t be tempted to do bad things anymore. If you have a motive beneath it all, th-then who am I to keep you from achieving it? I love you. D-Dark One or not, you are my one true love.”

He teared up again. “Come. Let’s get you warmed up and nourished.” He picked her up and carried her to her room. He set her on the bed and wrapped a blanket around her while he prepared a bath. He conjured a warm cup of tea for her to sip while she waits. He tested the water once the rub was filled. “I’ll be back when you’re finished. I love you.” He found that he couldn’t stop saying that.

“Rumple… Stay with me.”

He stopped in his tracks. “O-of course.” It took him by surprise, but he sat on the bed while she walked over to the bath. He averted his eyes out of courtesy and decency when she stripped for her bath. He handed her back her tea and knelt by her tub.

“I’m sorry I was so stubborn-“

“Belle, don’t. If it hadn’t been for your, albeit frustrating, persistence, I wouldn’t have given in and admitted my feelings for you.” He smiled and did his usual, gleeful giggle. “I love you! I am so in love with you, and you with me!” He stroked her hair, his voice dropping the theatrics again. “It’s wonderful. You, my Belle, are wonderful.”

She smiled, resting her head in his hand, her hand over his. “Truly, Rumple, I mean it. I may have crossed the line today. It all worked out in the end, but I said things I deeply regret. You aren’t a coward. You’re scared, and you have a right to be, but what you did today was so incredibly brave.” She nuzzled into his hand, looking up at him and scanning his face for the okay to kiss his hand. He gave a slight nod, and she pressed her lips gently to his palm.

 

They continued the evening in comfortable silence. When she finished her bath, he gave her a nightgown and robe to wear, and tucked her into her bed. He conjured her a hot meal, not wanting to leave her side for a moment. When she finished eating, the dishes disappeared, and he discarded his coat and vest and crawled into bed with her to hold her. He twirled her hair between his fingers, and she cupped his face. It was the most contact they’ve had with each other, ever, and they both felt their skin tingle where the other had touched. It was well into the morning by this point, and Belle was falling in and out of sleep.

“It’s my son.” Rumple broke the silence.

“Hmm?” Belle stirred, opening her eyes and staring up into his. She nuzzled further into his chest, and he pulled her closer. 

“My son. His name was…. Is Baelfire. I made him a promise, a deal, and it’s the only one I’ve ever broken. He wanted me to go with him, to go somewhere where the curse wouldn’t affect me, and I was a coward and I lost him. He just wanted me to be a man, not a monster, and I failed him. Not a single day passes where I don’t regret it. Maybe… Maybe it was fate for me to lose him. Maybe it would have been inevitable. Maybe losing him was to teach me a lesson, to teach me… to teach me not to value power over love. It took me twice to realize that. I’m glad to have found you. I’m glad you never gave up on me. The reason, my sweet Belle, that I value my power so much, is because I need it to find my son. I may lose my way every once in a while, become too dependent on my power, but everything I do, I do to find Bae.”

Belle stroked his cheek. “I’m so sorry I nearly took that opportunity from you, Rumple. I’ll help you find your son. Everything we do now, we’ll do together. Do we have a deal?”  
Rumplestiltskin chuckled. “Yes, darling. We have a deal.”

Belle smiled and snuggled against him, closing her eyes and letting sleep take her. “Good.”

The sorcerer looked down and the beautiful temptress curled up in the crook of his arm, his beloved caretaker, and wondered what he did right in order to deserve such a wonderful lover.

“And Rumple?”

“Yes, darling?”

“When we find him, those lips are mine.”


End file.
